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Getting into Boston Nightlife on the D Line

So I turned 21 a while back and just graduated, so I'm trying to break into the area bar (and club) scene and see how I like having some sort of social life. I'm out in Newton (right near city hall), so there's probably not much local, and I'd rather not use a car (I want to drink), so is there anything I can get to from the Newton Centre station? Honestly, I'm a bit fuzzy on what neighborhoods correspond to what stations.

Also, Valentine's Day is coming up, so any ideas on where I can take my GF would be nice. Waltham or Newton would be easiest, but anywhere would be fine.

D line gets you right into the Fens, Kenmore and Copley, or you can get off at Reservoir, switch to C and hit Cleveland Circle. The only thing that's a PITA for you would be Cambridge. Fastest Green line too (GF used to live near Eliot)

More importantly, what kind of places are you looking for? The young crowd is in Brighton, which is not easily T-accessible from where you are (as it's a different green line and you'd have to go out and back)

For V-Day - Locally I'm a big fan of the Biltmore, though off the D line you could hit Eastern Standard or Citizens Public House pretty easily, and both make truly awesome food. Might be a bit spendy though. Oishii in Chestnut Hill has awesome sushi, but you have to drive there and it's not really romantic.

D line gets you right into the Fens, Kenmore and Copley, or you can get off at Reservoir, switch to C and hit Cleveland Circle. The only thing that's a PITA for you would be Cambridge. Fastest Green line too (GF used to live near Eliot)

More importantly, what kind of places are you looking for? The young crowd is in Brighton, which is not easily T-accessible from where you are (as it's a different green line and you'd have to go out and back)

For V-Day - Locally I'm a big fan of the Biltmore, though off the D line you could hit Eastern Standard or Citizens Public House pretty easily, and both make truly awesome food. Might be a bit spendy though. Oishii in Chestnut Hill has awesome sushi, but you have to drive there and it's not really romantic.

I'm honestly fine with driving on v-day, as I'll be driving to meet her, anyway, and there's a shuttle from her school going to Harvard Square and Beacon and Mass AVE, which is close enough for me to go damn near anywhere. So far, my internet powers have led me to a variety of romantic and casual places, depending on the cuisine, varying from Basque to Chinese with a secret menu (and a huge tip for the waiter who goes through the crap of translating) to hotpot (fun times), to Guatemalan, to (semi-splurgy, if I understand the pricing system) French/New England fusion. Don't bother clicking on all the links, I'm not actually sure why I posted all of them. I may have a problem.

As for bars, I'm not sure yet. I'm not much of a beer or wine guy, so I'd be really happy if any tap place I went to had better cider variety than Magners and Magners Pear (of course, there's supposed to be one really good beer bar that has gluten-frees and sours in Allston, and I had a gluten-free bucket-brew while studying abroad). I'd also like to try out a cocktail bar. Of course, my whole thing is that I'd like to get a social life, so I'm looking for active/young person bars, nightclubs, and neighborhood/dive-y bars (I'll probably only want to go a few stops for this one so that I'm not some sort of out-of-town jackass). Hell, I'm even looking at dance clubs, although I don't think I'll need to worry about driving so much because there's no way I'm trying to swing or salsa drunk. So, basically, I have no idea what I want except for the fact that I want to find out.

For a good social life - try not to live in Newton. Seriously though, it's beautiful, but it takes effort to get out and do stuff. Brighton is dirty, so Cambridge/Somerville would be my bet on best place to live with cool people. Join local sports or recreation clubs (don't worry if you suck, it's mostly about drinking anyway), and just get out and try things.
If you want a meal you'll never forget, go to Craigie on Main. You'll spend like $3-400, but it's fucking nutso.

Elephant Walk is a great Cambodian/French place in Waltham center. Also, Green Street Grill in Cambridge is a really nice place, though a bit expensive (though not nearly as expensive as Craigie on Main).

As far as night life stuff, there's a bunch of stuff in Kenmore Square. An Tua Nua is a pretty fun dance place, though it occasionally has sketchy people hanging around. Audubon Circle is a nice restaurant/bar nearby that usually has cool people hanging around, though it's a little pricey. For really crazy night life, Faneuil Hall has a lot of fun clubs nearby, like Bell in Hand and Ned Devine's. Harp in the North End can also be fun depending on what night you go there. Delux Cafe is a fantastic dive bar in Back Bay, and Clery's is a run down bar/dance place in Back Bay that's great as long as you don't mind the occasional drunk jackass.

Elephant Walk is a great Cambodian/French place in Waltham center. Also, Green Street Grill in Cambridge is a really nice place, though a bit expensive (though not nearly as expensive as Craigie on Main).

Yeah, it's a great place. Unfortunately, that's one of the places my parents take us when (I suspect) they're trying to bribe the GF to stay with me. They really like her.

I don't suppose you could be a little more clear on what you mean by "depending on what night you go there?"

I live in Waltham and I often joke that Moody Street is really just a sex shop and a thousand restaurants.

The best around is probably The Elephant Walk (mentioned above in the center), Earlam of Siam (Thai) and New Mother India (Indian). I very much enjoy Tree Top (Thai) but I've never eaten in, only had delivery. The new Pho place is good, but it really lacks an atmosphere for dining in. Tom Can Cook is a Japanese/Thai/Chinese Fusion place that is all-around good with a very nice atmosphere.

A bit further up is Maseo's Kitchen, which is an amazing macrobiotic/vegetarian Japanese place with (if I remember correctly) buffet-style-ish eats. People say it's amazing.

It may behoove you to take the 20-30 minutes to walk up and down Moody St. in Waltham.

I live in Waltham and I often joke that Moody Street is really just a sex shop and a thousand restaurants.

The best around is probably The Elephant Walk (mentioned above in the center), Earlam of Siam (Thai) and New Mother India (Indian). I very much enjoy Tree Top (Thai) but I've never eaten in, only had delivery. The new Pho place is good, but it really lacks an atmosphere for dining in. Tom Can Cook is a Japanese/Thai/Chinese Fusion place that is all-around good with a very nice atmosphere.

A bit further up is Maseo's Kitchen, which is an amazing macrobiotic/vegetarian Japanese place with (if I remember correctly) buffet-style-ish eats. People say it's amazing.

It may behoove you to take the 20-30 minutes to walk up and down Moody St. in Waltham.

I've actually done that way more than my GF liked because Karibu isn't actually visible from Moody and I didn't bring a map. It doesn't have a great atmosphere, but I liked the food (GF, not so much).

Elephant Walk is a great Cambodian/French place in Waltham center. Also, Green Street Grill in Cambridge is a really nice place, though a bit expensive (though not nearly as expensive as Craigie on Main).

Yeah, it's a great place. Unfortunately, that's one of the places my parents take us when (I suspect) they're trying to bribe the GF to stay with me. They really like her.

I don't suppose you could be a little more clear on what you mean by "depending on what night you go there?"

Just that there are different djs or bands on different nights, so you may go in one night and love the music, other nights you might hate it.